2017 WELLFest: Get fit for free

After a summer of music- and food-centered celebrations, two companies team up to create a new type of festival in Columbus.

By Elaina Wilson

Although many summer celebrations seem to include pricey outdoor concerts, greasy food trucks and booze, two companies are coming together to bring a new type of festival to town.

Brian Schottenstein, president of Schottenstein Real Estate Group, is partnering with Nicki Meyer, president and CEO of AccelWell, to put on the first of what they hope will be many WELLFests to come. The new health and wellness festival is free, open to the public and will take place at the Powell Grand Communities (one of the Schottenstein Real Estate Group’s developments) on Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“[AccelWell] has done things like this internally at our office before, but never for a large group of people,” Meyer says. “Brian really does deserve all the credit for WELLFest. He had the vision to promote a very holistic approach to wellness and health to the community in this way.”

WELLFest will feature yoga, boot camp-style circuit training, a walk/run and a self-defense option as well, Meyer says. The workouts will be separated into three blocks, and the last block will be group yoga. “Although I have never really been good at yoga myself, I am the most excited to see a large group of people doing yoga outside,” she adds.

In addition to the exercises, giveaways and other goodies will be raffled off during the event. Some of the prizes include a football signed by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, free rides at Cycle Bar, local farmers’ market gift cards and more. WELLFest will also feature healthy food catered by Powell’s Local Roots, as well as healthy food demonstrations. “At the end of the day, there will also be a motivational speech from a life coach,” Schottenstein says. “It will be a great opportunity to cover things like positivity and goal-setting.”

While the event is free and open to the public, participants will need to sign up online to reserve a spot.

Meyer and Schottenstein say they are looking forward to making WELLFest an annual event. “Anytime organizations can provide something free of charge for the community about healthy-living, it’s a good thing,” Meyer says. “WELLFest will be a great way to prove that healthy, free festivals and events can be both popular and fun.”